D&A

Skyscorchers

A UK architectural firm along with a Chinese partner has prepared a masterplan for the construction of the world’s tallest pair of towers. Phoenix Towers, a pair of supertall structures will be the centrepiece of a development prepared by Chetwoods Architects and the HuaYan Group in Wuhan. On completion, the interdependent towers 1km in height, will be the tallest pair of such buildings in the world matching the Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture-designed Kingdom Tower in Jeddah. Phoenix Towers is slated to come up on an island within a lake as part of a 47-hectare site. The idea derives from western technology as well as Chinese tradition and culture – notably the symbol of the Chinese Phoenix, which combines the male (Feng) and female (Huang) forms along with the Yin and the Yang to represent a perfect balance. The end result is the pair of interdependent towers where the Feng tower ‘feeds’ the Huang tower with renewable power in a symbiotic process. The towers will be supported by wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, thermal chimneys and rainwater harvesting work, not to mention biomass boilers and hydrogen fuel cells at the ground level to generate the power required to support the structures. It is reported the green project – it will link the region's lakes – will serve as an environmental catalyst to re-invigorate the city of Wuhan, while actively skirting the debilitating effects of development elsewhere in that country.

Nordic pride

A partnership between Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Copenhagen-based architects Entasis, and COWI Denmark and COWI Sweden have been announced as winners of an international design competition to conceptualise the tallest building in the region. The 230-metre Polestar Tower at Lindholmen in Gothenburg is a residential-led mixed-use skyscraper which will act as a catalyst for future developments in the area. The successful design incorporates flats, loft-style apartments and duplexes with each unit benefiting from its own private balcony. The competition initiated by contractor Serneke and the City of Gothenburg is to be supported by a lounge, gym and roof deck to be shared by all residents, alongside a public restaurant and observation deck. The skyscorcher derives inspiration from ‘ribbons blowing in the wind’ and is being blended into the area with a larger masterplan which integrates the local environment into a whole allowing for a vibrant urban environment The skyscraper will be Gothenburg’s new landmark and pride. SOM also has created plans for a landscaped ring connecting important sites within Gothenburg and creation of a new park as part of the plan for the city’s 400th anniversary celebrations in 2021.

D&A

Skyscorchers

A UK architectural firm along with a Chinese partner has prepared a masterplan for the construction of the world’s tallest pair of towers. Phoenix Towers, a pair of supertall structures will be the centrepiece of a development prepared by Chetwoods Architects and the HuaYan Group in Wuhan. On completion, the interdependent towers 1km in height, will be the tallest pair of such buildings in the world matching the Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture-designed Kingdom Tower in Jeddah. Phoenix Towers is slated to come up on an island within a lake as part of a 47-hectare site. The idea derives from western technology as well as Chinese tradition and culture – notably the symbol of the Chinese Phoenix, which combines the male (Feng) and female (Huang) forms along with the Yin and the Yang to represent a perfect balance. The end result is the pair of interdependent towers where the Feng tower ‘feeds’ the Huang tower with renewable power in a symbiotic process. The towers will be supported by wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, thermal chimneys and rainwater harvesting work, not to mention biomass boilers and hydrogen fuel cells at the ground level to generate the power required to support the structures. It is reported the green project – it will link the region's lakes – will serve as an environmental catalyst to re-invigorate the city of Wuhan, while actively skirting the debilitating effects of development elsewhere in that country.

Nordic pride

A partnership between Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Copenhagen-based architects Entasis, and COWI Denmark and COWI Sweden have been announced as winners of an international design competition to conceptualise the tallest building in the region. The 230-metre Polestar Tower at Lindholmen in Gothenburg is a residential-led mixed-use skyscraper which will act as a catalyst for future developments in the area. The successful design incorporates flats, loft-style apartments and duplexes with each unit benefiting from its own private balcony. The competition initiated by contractor Serneke and the City of Gothenburg is to be supported by a lounge, gym and roof deck to be shared by all residents, alongside a public restaurant and observation deck. The skyscorcher derives inspiration from ‘ribbons blowing in the wind’ and is being blended into the area with a larger masterplan which integrates the local environment into a whole allowing for a vibrant urban environment The skyscraper will be Gothenburg’s new landmark and pride. SOM also has created plans for a landscaped ring connecting important sites within Gothenburg and creation of a new park as part of the plan for the city’s 400th anniversary celebrations in 2021.